Bang Bang Bang! Three hits including Pittsburgh's Bae Ji-hwan home run, and a batting average of 0.545 in exhibition games are good!
Mar 05, 2025
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Bae Ji-hwan started as the first left fielder against the Boston Red Sox in the 2025 Major League Baseball exhibition game at Lecom Park in Bradenton, Florida on the 5th (Korea time) and played a perfect game with three hits (one home run) and one RBI and two runs in three at-bats. As a result, Bae Ji-hwan's batting average in exhibition games rose vertically from 375 to 545 (6 hits in 11 at-bats). In terms of batting average, you can expect to enter the opening entry of the Major League immediately.
Bae Ji-hwan, who started as the first left fielder on the day, came out as the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the first inning when he was 0-0, and reported a good left-handed hit. Against Boston right-hander Queen Priest, Bae Ji-hwan pushed a 94.5-mile (about 152 km per hour) cutter that entered the first pitch to make a hit that fell in front of left field.
It was a hit again in three games after the Tampa Bay Rays on the 1st. Bae had no hit in the game against the Baltimore Orioles (no hit in one at-bats) on the 2nd and the Detroit Tigers (no hit in two at-bats) on the 3rd.
The first at-bat hit in the first inning was the prelude to the Bae Ji-hwan Fire Show.
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Bae Ji-hwan, who fully recovered his confidence by reporting his first home run, also had a hit in his third at-bat in the bottom of the fifth inning. Bae Ji-hwan, who came to the batter's box at the bottom of the fifth inning with one out and a runner on the first base when trailing 1-10, hit a 98-mile (about 157.7 kilometers per hour) four-seam fastball thrown by Boston's changed pitcher Luis Guerrero and reported a hit before the day. All three hits, including a home run, extended to the outfield. It means that Bae Ji-hwan's batting pace is in the portrait.
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Thanks to the three-hit fire show, Bae Ji-hwan's chances of entering the Major League's opening roster have increased considerably. Bae Ji-hwan appeared in 10 games in 2022, his first year in the Major League, and made his presence known with a batting average of 0.333 (11 hits in 33 at-bats) and six RBIs and three steals. Using this as a springboard, he played in more than 110 games (111 games) as a utility outfielder for Pittsburgh in 2023, batting average of 0.231 (77 hits in 334 at-bats) with two home runs, 32 RBIs and 24 steals. As a member of the big league, it is a performance that can be considered to have established his position.
However, he played only 29 games last year due to injury, and his batting average dropped to 0.189 (14 hits in 74 at-bats). It can be said that a red flag has been turned on to remain in the Major League. In the end, in order to remain in the big league this year, he had to prove his value once again through exhibition games.
In this situation, three hits in three at-bats and a multi-hit and first home run in an exhibition game are quite positive results. It can be evidence that Bae Ji-hwan has recovered his healthy physical condition and has been significantly upgraded compared to before in terms of hitting. Above all, Bae Ji-hwan has a distinct advantage of being able to play infield (striker) as well as outfield and having fast feet. If the batting in the exhibition game remains at the same pace as it is now, we can be optimistic about entering the opening roster.
Reporter Lee Won-man wman@sportschosun.com
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
